Creating a mobile app takes a lot of hard work and success is never guaranteed. Even with ample time and money invested, app developers can still fail to build a successful mobile app. Commonly, app developers are never able to fully understand what their potential app customers want in a mobile app.

Instead of creating a mobile app you think people will want to use, you need to build one you know people will want to use. The idea doesn’t have to be perfect from the start, but you need to be open to improvement and making fixes to your app.

So how do you know what to include in your mobile app, what needs to be fixed, or what your customers want? The answer is feedback. Getting feedback from your customers will help you build a successful mobile app.

Why Feedback is Important?

Knowing exactly what your customers will want in a mobile app is challenging. No matter what you think your customers want the only way you can ever know for sure is by listening to them. Only your customers can tell you what could be better or what doesn’t work.

Companies that don’t listen to their customers often make uneducated guesses as to what their customers need and want. Feedback lets your customers help drive your product roadmap to make the changes that matter most to your customers with confidence and eliminate time figuring out what features you think are most important.

Mobile moves fast so limiting the number of guesses you make throughout development can make a key difference. Asking for and responding to feedback is also a great way to foster relationships between you and your mobile customers and develop a community.

When customers feel that their feedback is taken seriously they are more willing to give it and feel more connected to the app. In the end, what a customer actually wants from a mobile app takes precedence over what you might want to promote to them. You have to provide value. You have to show them you are listening. You need to show them you are attuned to their needs and what’s in their best interest.

Here are five easy tools that every app developer should use to get customer feedback

1. App store reviews

This idea might sound obvious (after all, everyone knows about app store reviews), but it’s often surprising to see how many developers focus only on their app’s star rating and don’t pay attention to the actual comments. Look for examples of customers having trouble with your app – what do they complain about? Where is your app frustrating people or losing people’s interest?

On the flip side, by reading app store review comments you can also gain Lioninsights into where your app is succeeding. Listen to the raves as well as the rants. You might be pleasantly surprised by some of the things your app is doing well – and these positive comments might help you identify bigger opportunities.

2. Facebook

Social media is not only a great way to promote your app, but it’s also an ideal listening tool for gathering feedback. You can use Facebook to have conversations with customers, conduct polls, and get feedback on ideas.

For example, you could post a poll about “which features would you most like to see in our next app update?” Or “Which level of the recent game update did you enjoy most?” Social media isn’t just for promoting a message and selling to customers, it’s also about engaging with customers to show them that you value their ideas and feedback.

3. Set up a customer forum on your website

Facebook has some great tools for generating and tracking feedback, but there are some limitations to what Facebook can do – plus the feedback is all contained on your Facebook page, which limits your flexibility in using the data. If you want to get wider-ranging customer feedback in a format that your company can fully “own” and control, it’s best to create a customer forum on your own website.

4. Run your own free focus groups

One of the cheapest, fastest and easiest ways to get feedback is to simply round up a group of your friends and family and observe them playing your game. Where do they get stuck? How long does it take them to figure out what to do? When do they get frustrated?

What are some suggestions that come to mind as they play the game – which comments and complaints do you hear most often from your “focus group” testers? Sometimes the best way to evaluate an app is to share it with someone else who was not involved in developing it, and then watch what happens. Friends and family will notice things about your app that might have been overlooked during the development process.

5. In-app feedback

Perhaps the most powerful method of getting customer feedback is soliciting it in the app itself. Whether it’s a “Contact Us” button, asking your active users about what they think of your app or running in-app surveys, you can learn the most from people who are actually in your app and using it. You can build these capabilities on your own or use tools from companies to get more feedback from your app customers in a matter of minutes.